Molecular and organic electronic materials have shown tremendous promise for lightweight, flexible devices, with broad applications from efficient lighting and displays, to sensors, solar electric generation, and even ferroelectrics. Despite such success, integrated efficient energy storage, conversion and generation mechanisms are critical. To address this need, a combined experimental and computational investigation of molecular piezoelectric response that demonstrates applied electric fields can drive significant conformational changes, even in single self-assembled monolayers is needed.
Recent investigations in nanostructured ZnO and related piezoelectric semiconductors have shown promise to interconvert mechanical and electrical energy for piezoelectric fabrics, nanogenerators powered by sound waves, and self-powered displays and sensors. For organic and biological materials, bulk piezoelectric response has been measured in polymers like polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), polar organic crystals, and even skin, only recently has nanoscale characterization been possible. Modern atomic force microscopy (AFM) and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) now enables the determination of the limits of piezoelectric distortion, including the piezoresponse of biological materials, such as individual collagen fibrils, blood cells, peptide nanotubes, and viral capsids.